She smiled proudly. “Sort of. It’s an art of divination. I’m intuitive. I see what the cards are saying, and I hear what your spirit guides tell me. I also get imprints or flashes of pictures when I see people.”
“Really?” I asked.
She nodded.
The last card appeared almost as frightening as the Death card. A green dragon nursed someone lying in bed as they writhed in agony.
A thought whispered through my mind. “Death bed.”
I shook my head.
If this woman wanted to teach me a lesson about helping someone when I wronged them, consider it her mission a success. At this point, I didn’t want to help another person out… let alone someone who could spin a fortune like the one sitting on the table in front of me.
This was terrifying.
Maxine pulled my attention to her again as she spoke, “Someone is certainly looking out for you. Unfortunately, all they have are warnings for you. I wish it was something more positive.”
I nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Whoever this woman is,” she pointed to the card with the woman, “she has some sort of vendetta against you. But I’m getting the impression there are others involved with her who are trying to genuinely help you. I’m only getting flashes of images I can’t make sense of. But the emotion I get with those flashes is helpful and more positive.”
I shook my head, at a complete loss of words.
She continued, “I also sense there is an ex… a man in your past who has let you down and you are struggling to accept the help of others because of the damage he had done. I think that is who the Death and Tower card are referring to.”
“How…” I started to ask and then clamped my mouth shut. There was no way in hell she could know who Xander was or what he had done to me. It was just impossible.
Unless…
Unless she really was what she said, and she can divine things from people. I mean, could it really be that far off if shifters really existed, so maybe witches did too?
“He put you through hell, didn’t he?” she asked, meeting my gaze.
I nodded. My heart started to race.
“I believe you haven’t seen the last of your ex, and this woman is going to be somehow connected with him. Keep your eyes open and pay attention to the signs.”
I nodded. “Thank you for the reading. But I need to go now.”
I jumped up from the table and rushed through the door so quickly that I damn near launched myself into the street as a car flew by.
I spent the rest of the day deeply troubled by the reading. Things she had said made sense and the more I thought about everything she said and the cards, the more I understood the symbolism in the images painted on them.
The only thing I couldn’t reconcile was how in the hell did Maxine know all those things? She couldn’t possibly have known those things. Not in a million years. Not unless this was some elaborate setup and that was highly unlikely.
6
MALACHI
It had been two very long nights since I had a tasted the nectar of all that was Cassidy. Literally and figuratively. I was starting to become stir-crazy keeping my distance from her. She took me completely by surprise and now I couldn’t seem to stop thinking of her.
I wanted her—no—I needed her.
My animal longed for her something fierce.
Though it was forbidden to have sex with her, I couldn’t help myself. The other two probably felt the same, which was another problem in and of itself. But I would deal with that later. I didn’t like the idea of sharing her, and they were of no consequence to me if it came down to making her choose.
But only when it came to her.